]]>https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/did-you-know-16-5412/feed/0They Said That : March 2013https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/they-said-that-16-5417/
https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/they-said-that-16-5417/#commentsFri, 15 Feb 2013 21:40:49 +0000FIGHT! Staffhttp://mag.fightmagazine.com/?p=5417Spider Bite “I love Anderson Silva. He’s a great guy outside of the cage, and he’s one of my favorite fighters to watch inside the cage. To me, to fight him would be a little bittersweet because I know I would beat him.” —Rashad Evans to mmajunkie.com. Hair Trauma “I was taken away from my [...]

]]>Spider Bite
“I love Anderson Silva. He’s a great guy outside of the cage, and he’s one of my favorite fighters to watch inside the cage. To me, to fight him would be a little bittersweet because I know I would beat him.”
—Rashad Evans to mmajunkie.com.

Hair Trauma
“I was taken away from my family and from my friends and from life. You literally, you vanish, you’re gone, there’s no sign of you whatsoever. It’s almost like to everyone in the outside world that you’re dead and you’re gone. And, things like, for instance, I didn’t know what was happening with my people on the outside, it was upsetting. People had gotten new jobs or changed their hairstyle or experienced different things I missed out on. It just upset me. It still upsets me to this day.”
—Mike Ricci explaining his time in the TUF house on The MMA Hour.

Blow Off Some Steam
“Baltika beer is my favorite. You have to drink it after the sauna with a little fish jerky. Russian banyas [steam baths] are
the tits.”
—Ronda Rousey to FIGHT! Magazine.

No Further Questions
“The lawyer for Bellator, he’s either the biggest moron in the history of the world or a liar. For this guy to go out there and say that Spike and Fox are exactly the same—that they’re comparable—is the most ridiculous statement ever made in the history of the world.”
—Dana White to UFC Tonight.

]]>https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/they-said-that-16-5417/feed/05 Minutes with Stefan Struvehttps://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/5-minutes-with-stefan-struve-5933/
https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/5-minutes-with-stefan-struve-5933/#commentsFri, 15 Feb 2013 21:35:10 +0000Duane Finleyhttp://mag.fightmagazine.com/?p=5933I heard you recently crossed the 7-foot mark. Are you still growing? It’s true. Now, I am 7-feet tall and still getting a lot heavier. That is the biggest thing for me right now—getting heavier and putting on a lot more strength. Does your height make it difficult to find comfortable yet stylish pieces of [...]

]]>I heard you recently crossed the 7-foot mark. Are you still growing?

It’s true. Now, I am 7-feet tall and still getting a lot heavier. That is the biggest thing for me right now—getting heavier and putting on a lot more strength.

Does your height make it difficult to find comfortable yet stylish pieces of furniture to fill up your place?

That is not really a problem. It usually just comes down to what type of couch you want. If you look hard enough, you can find anything.

You’re 25 years old, what do you do outside of training to make sure you are still enjoying your youth?

Well, right now there is a bunch of snow in Holland, so there isn’t a lot to do here. I’m really focused on training, and when you are training, there isn’t a lot of time to do other things. When I’m not in training, I’m hanging out with friends and trying to do as many fun things as possible. But the weather isn’t good for that right now.

You have a big fight coming up against Mark Hunt in Japan. Having fought all over the world, what are you looking forward to in Japan?

It is going to be a first for me, and I’m excited about it. I’ve been to South Korea, and that isn’t too far from Japan, so I’ve already experienced what it is like to make that flight. I remember the jet lag not being too much of a problem back then. It is going to be a fun place to see and a good experience for sure. It’s going to be good to fight in front of the Japanese crowd. I’ve heard really good stories about their crowds. I’m looking forward to it.

Is it nice to not have to cut weight during fight week?

To be honest with you, for this fight and the fights that come after, I need to focus on my diet a little bit more because I’m getting heavier and heavier. It’s not a big deal right now. I train really hard and that automatically gets me down around the 265-pound mark.

Coming from the Netherlands, is there anything about the American culture that has taken you by surprise?

It is just something you have to experience for yourself. People all over the world are a little different, but I really like the culture in America. When I’m in the U.S., I spend a lot of time in L.A. It is a cool place, and I really like it over there. I have been fighting in the U.S. for the past three years, and I really enjoy it.

You started off your time in the Octagon fighting against monsters like Junior dos Santos and Roy Nelson. Do you think that experience ultimately helped you?

It’s been a good learning experience. To be honest with you, I wouldn’t want to change a thing because I’ve learned so much from the losses I’ve had. I don’t look at the Internet a lot, but it is funny to me when I hear things from my friends and training partners that people are online talking about how I don’t have a chin. It was never about having a bad chin. When you get hit clean in the heavyweight division, it is lights out. It was more about getting rid of those mistakes in my stand-up and making sure I don’t get hit like that anymore—making sure I don’t put myself in the position where my opponents can get that shot off on me. I’ve become a lot better as a fighter by learning from my mistakes.

What would you be doing with your life if you weren’t competing inside the cage?

That’s a hard one, man. I’ve been doing this since I was 16 years old. I’ve been fighting as long as I can remember, but if my career never happened, I’m sure I would still be doing something with sports.

What does an ideal 2013 look like for Stefan Struve?

It would start by knocking out Mark Hunt. Then another knockout over the next guy the UFC gives me, and a knockout over the champ. That would a great 2013, but we’ll see. I have a plan, and we’ll see how it all works out.

Can you help me understand why Europeans seem to like techno music as much as they do?

I think it’s because that music is part of our culture. Europe, and especially Holland, are places where those kind of parties started. It goes back a long time. I know they have had those parties in Holland for years.

]]>https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/5-minutes-with-stefan-struve-5933/feed/0Health Radar : March 2013https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/health-radar-11-5420/
https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/health-radar-11-5420/#commentsFri, 15 Feb 2013 21:30:10 +0000FIGHT! Staffhttp://mag.fightmagazine.com/?p=5420Healing Waters According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who utilized an ice bath for recovery were able to maintain a higher power output on subsequent workouts compared to a control group. Interestingly enough, a third group that utilized warm water for recovery also maintained higher power than [...]

]]>Healing Waters
According to a recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, athletes who utilized an ice bath for recovery were able to maintain a higher power output on subsequent workouts compared to a control group. Interestingly enough, a third group that utilized warm water for recovery also maintained higher power than the control group (but lower than the cold water group). The conclusion? Water truly is the elixir of life.

Don’t Go Green
Nix the green beer chugging during this month’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Alcohol is already toxic enough to your body and adding artificial food colorings and dyes is like throwing gas on a fire. Some dyes have been shown to cause severe allergic reactions and even cancer, so stick to wearing a green hat while you enjoy your holiday beverages.

Backwards Thinking
The newest trend in workouts: running backwards. The fleet feet feat has been studied by biomechanics engineers who claim that backward walking or running using the toe-to-heel motion is gentler on the knees and requires 30 percent more energy. Maybe Kalib Starnes was just ahead of his time.

Smash Hit
Let’s get to work on your physique the blue-collar way. Grab a sledgehammer and an oversized tire and start pounding. Remember to keep your abs flexed and knees slightly bent as you use your legs, core, shoulders, and arms to drive the hammer down. Just don’t expect to be able to do a “Showtime Knee” when you’re finished.

]]>https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/health-radar-11-5420/feed/0New Gear : March 2013https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/new-gear-11-5432/
https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/new-gear-11-5432/#commentsFri, 15 Feb 2013 21:10:17 +0000FIGHT! Staffhttp://mag.fightmagazine.com/?p=54321. Curtis & Co. Big Time World Watch The next time you want a watch that makes you feel as good as it looks, slip on a watch from the Curtis & Co. collection. Swiss designed. Swiss crafted. The only thing the Swiss are better at than neutrality? Making designer timepieces. This one is sure [...]

]]>1. Curtis & Co. Big Time World Watch
The next time you want a watch that makes you feel as good as it looks, slip on a watch from the Curtis & Co. collection. Swiss designed. Swiss crafted. The only thing the Swiss are better at than neutrality? Making designer timepieces. This one is sure to impress your special lady friend.curtisandcowatches.com

3. RX Black Ops Jump Rope
Rx Jump Ropes are custom sized to each individual athlete’s height and offer five different cable variations to support multiple tempo and resistance levels. If you thought jumping rope was just for the playground, think again. The Rx Black Ops will have you skipping rope like the pros.$34.95rxsmartgear.com

]]>https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/new-gear-11-5432/feed/0KAT Out of the Baghttps://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/kat-out-of-the-bag-5437/
https://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/kat-out-of-the-bag-5437/#commentsFri, 15 Feb 2013 21:05:12 +0000Jim Caseyhttp://mag.fightmagazine.com/?p=5437Photos by Paul Thatcher \\ Wardrobe by Chelsea Elisha \\ Makeup by Natasha Chamberlin The World Series of Fighting hit a homerun when they decided to make Kat Kelley a ring girl for their inaugural event in November 2012. The 25-year-old Las Vegan took the cage by storm, leaving viewers with more than just an [...]

The World Series of Fighting hit a homerun when they decided to make Kat Kelley a ring girl for their inaugural event in November 2012. The 25-year-old Las Vegan took the cage by storm, leaving viewers with more than just an appreciation for MMA.

Amsterdam? Do tell.
I’m making an appearance at a nightclub to do some promotional work. I’ve never been to Europe, so I’m going to make the most of it.

Are you going to visit any hash bars?
Maybe. You only live once [laughing]. I’m more excited about the waffles, though.

You know what they put on French fries in Holland?
Yes. Mayonnaise. I love it with a passion. I eat mayonnaise with everything. That’s going to be amazing.

How long have you lived in Las Vegas?
Ten years.

Do you still party on the strip or prefer to take it easy?
I like to go to the nightclubs on the weekdays. The people are much more laid back. The weekends are for crazy party animals, so I’ll hit up a dive bar instead.

What’s the best dive bar in town?
I’d have to say Frankie’s Tiki Room. It stinks in there and smells like smoke, but they pour a strong drink.

What’s the absolute worst thing about living in Las Vegas?
Dating. There are no good guys. They are all tools and meatheads and parasites. It’s horrible. It’s better to be single, make your money, and get out.

A girl with a plan. What are you looking for in a guy?
I’m not looking for a guy.

Are you looking for a girl?
No [laughing]. I’m single right now, and happy with it. I’m focusing on my modeling and finishing up my marketing degree at UNLV.

How did you get hooked up with the World Series of Fighting?
There was a competition with more than 200 girls that lasted five months. I had to attend clubs and get the crowds to vote for me and impress the judges. It was a long process, but so much fun, and so worth it.

On March 23, you’ll be in Atlantic City for WSOF 2. You excited?
Yes, I’ve never been to Atlantic City, so I’m ready to go. And the event is going to be on NBC Sports Network, so I’m hoping we will do big numbers like our first event.

Are you a big MMA fan?
Yeah, I love MMA. My favorites are Jon Jones and Andrei Arlovski. I’m pumped to see Arlovski headline WSOF 2 against Anthony Johnson. I also look up to Arianny Celeste. She’s so pretty…and she’s half-Asian just like me.

What’s your ethnicity?
I’m 50 percent Filipino, 25 percent French, and 25 percent Irish.
Looks like some good genes. How do you stay in shape?
I do a lot of Pilates. I also don’t eat red meat or pork, and no sodas.

Do you still enjoy an adult beverage every now and then?
Definitely. I love wine. I’m a wine fanatic. And I love whiskey.

I heard you recently shot an MP5 sub-achine gun. How was that?
Fun! I own a Ruger P95, but I’d never shot a machine gun. I was impressed. Those things are powerful.

Where is your favorite place to visit?
I love going back to the Philippines. I have like a thousand cousins there. I’m not kidding.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Probably three weeks ago. I had to spend the day dancing with tile.

Explain that.
I got roped into doing this promo at a private restaurant. When I got there, I found out it was for a tile company, and they wanted me to dance in a go-go box with a piece of tile. The outfits were hideous. It was awful. It was pretty embarrassing. So I drank a couple glasses of vodka and started dancing…with tile. Longest hour of my life.
_

Guilty pleasure food?
Cake…anything cake. Sweets are my addiction.

Do you have a nickname?
Well, “Kat” is short for “Katrina,” but my pet name is Sasha. It’s a Filipino thing.

What’s the last good book you read?
I like to read self-help books.

What’s the best one?Why Men Love Bitches.

Why do we?
Read the book [laughing]. Well, it’s time to board for Amsterdam. Wish me luck.